1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to exercise devices and, more particularly, to exercise benches.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known in the art of weight lifting that certain conventional weight-lifting exercises require a substantially flat support bench that lies in a plane which is substantially parallel to the floor (e.g. the flat bench press, flat dumbbell butterfly, and leg curls). Other common weight-lifting exercises, on the other hand, require a V-shaped support bench in a sitting position wherein the back support and seat portions lie in planes that are at an acute angle of about 45.degree. to the floor and at approximately a 90.degree. angle with respect to each other (e.g. the incline bench press, incline dumbbell butterfly, and extension leg lift).
It is also well-known in the art to provide an adjustable weight-lifting support bench comprising a split bench having a back support section and a seat section connected in hinged relationship so that the bench can be adjusted for use in connection with both flat bench and sitting position exercises.
One major disadvantage of the prior art adjustable weight-lifting benches relates to the shift in orientation of the user's head with respect to the upright barbell supports when the benches are moved from the flat position to the inclined position. In general, conventional weight-lifting benches are so constructed that, when the bench is in the flat position, the user's head and shoulders are directly under the barbell set. This orientation helps to insure a safe and proper lifting position.
But, when the conventional weight-lifting bench is converted to its inclined position by moving the hinged section vertically downward, the result is to move the back support section toward the seat section and, at the same time, away from the stationary upright barbell supports This movement of the back support section in turn results in shifting the user's body position toward the seat end of the bench such that the user's head and shoulders are no longer are directly under the barbell set, but rather are forward of the barbell supports. Such a position is both awkward and potentially dangerous. These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention.